This Means War
by Angelwings2000
Summary: When Zim and Dib are becoming dependent on their daily routines of names and fighting and they don't even understand what's going on between them, something's just got to interfere.
1. Only A Battle

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Chapter One: Only Another Fight

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There he was again. The very scum the prevailed to plot his schemes created to make his life harder than it was already. There he was the very thing that had come from a planet 6 months away, only to have a 'mere boy' be the one other thing in his way. There he was, the green waste-of-space splotch whose one goal was to enslave the planet they walk on and destroy him.

There he stood once more. The very Earthanoid that continued to revoke him of every possible victory, every possible take-over. There he was, the hyuman he'd met six years ago, who devoted his every waking moment to prevent every plan to conquer Earth at first look at the alien. There he was, the pale and skinny, disliked by most everyone worm-baby that would have achieved victory if only he defeated the alien.

They both hated each other... right?

Yet another glance up at the clock on the wall; only four minutes until seventh period was over. His attention snapped back towards the left side of the classroom. He glared daggers at the menace from space, wishing he could will him to disintegrate with his eyes.

Three minutes.

He turned toward his right, the feeling of being watched growing too strong to ignore. Like the anxiousness in the pit of his squeedily-spooch predicted, the weakling was glaring at him once again. He glared back, going along with the usual scenario. Thoughts of experiments and testing and blades cutting through flesh came to mind and he smiled. His satisfaction would soon enough come.

Two minutes.

He scowled upon seeing his grin. What could be making him so glad, so joyful right now? What was going on in his head? Anger seethed and boiled up inside as the alien's cheer continued on. It made him sick, and he'd soon vent his anger on every bone, every inch of plasma on his green body.

One minute.

His smirk widened when his enemy scowled at his pleasure. Curiosity filled the golden brown eyes of the Earthling as he continued to look daggers into him. In less than sixty seconds they would both be able to show what they were thinking through a dance of violence on the pavement outside. They'd both been waiting for it, wanting it, needing it all day long.

The bell rang shrilly and they were the first out of their desks. They practically ran to their lockers, throwing certain textbooks into their bags, and racing outside. Out in the middle of the street, they threw their bags down onto the ground. Though they didn't immediately begin hitting at one another or swinging fist. Part of the fun was psychologically damaging the enemy.

"Dib-stink."

"Alien scum." They each smiled at the names thrown out into the open. They might actually skip ahead to the deep-cutting word plays, having restlessly awaited this moment. That's exactly what they did.

"You're worthless, hyuman," he began, "Your own father doesn't even care about you; you're just a waste of space." He smiled in satisfaction when the fists of the Dib-stink clenched.

"Well at least the people I trusted didn't ship me off hoping I'd die!" A great recovery after what the reptile had said to him. After this, they exploded. Insults and threats shot through the air, causing more tension and anger. Only thirteen minutes and forty-eight seconds after the arguing started, the fight began.

Zim threw the first clenched fist, aiming right for Dib's huge, leviathan head. He only dodged the attack, countering with swing to Zim's side. The alien fell to the ground on his back, refusing, though, to cry out in pain. From the ground he kicked Dib in the face.

This is how it went on. Hits and kicks, punches and swings, counters and falls. Soon it came to the claws, to the blood falling to the pavement. Soon it came to bruises, to the sound of bones breaking. Soon it came to breathlessness; a point where both alien and human could go no further. A point where both of them cancel each other out; a point where neither of them wins. A point where both of them have lost.

One will clamber from the dirt, spitting out blood onto the black top, and come to stand. The other will instantly follow, refusing to be the weaker one. From there they weakly glare at one another, each muttering an insult. They'll each grab their bags and limp home, secret satisfaction inside each of them.

They'll clean themselves off, acting as if nothing had happened. They'll prepare themselves, wanting more, and oh they'll be hell to pay. Because what just went on, what mere squabble that just took place, was only a warm-up. What just went on was nothing; just a simple little battle. Now that it was the weekend, now that it was spring break, there was going to be a war.

And what better thing to fuel said war?


	2. A New Student

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Chapter Two: A New Student

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Two weeks of wild dogs, robots, rabid hamsters, deadly lasers, radioactive crocs, intense combat machines, some other crazy Zim-like thing... (do you see how this would have gone on if skool hadn't of interfered?) Anyways, a couple weeks of fighting went on and they both had to stop their, precious, gleeful game to go back to skool. Whoopee. Though something was coming that could mess with their usual routine.

Dib plopped down with a sigh on one of the cafeteria chairs. He then began mindlessly prodding and poking whatever uneatable, can-cause-you-to lose-your-vision substance had been provided as "food" that day. He and the alien hadn't even had time to finish their war; it would have to be continued later. As a result, Zim destroyed his chemically "enhanced" animal-things and Dib had to self-destruct his mechanics and robots. Don't worry; this won't be the end of it.

Zim seated himself in front of Dib, interrupting his usual moping's and thoughts. The human looked up, his golden brown eyes gleaming with confusion as he clambered from his own mind and into reality. A scowl was received from the human, only making Zim grin.

"What do you want, Zim?" He spat out the words, venom in all of them. He didn't have time for the alien today, no matter how badly he wanted to have time to spare for him. At his question, anyways, Zim's grin faded.

"There's a new kid coming to our school tomorrow," he mumbled, a slight edge of worry catching in his voice. Dib raised a brow. There was something about Zim's sudden expression and mood that screamed he wasn't telling the whole story. Dib shrugged it off. For now, anyways.

"Ms. Bitters won't be happy about that." Stupid teacher; she had to leave skool to come and register as a highskool teacher. To make matters worse, she'd been one of Dib and Zim's teachers every year of highskool they'd been to. Thinking about it made Dib suspicious and angry at the same time. He stabbed his acid 'potatoes' once more.

"Of course the pitiful hyuman won't be; she hates kids!" A fairly ordinary teen walked by and stopped questioning Zim's statement.

"I'M NORMAL!" Zim screeched while pointing a finger in the face of the sandy blonde jock that dared question him. He slowly stepped up a couple steps then ran the rest of the way to a table. The worthless little worm just couldn't handle the greatness that is Zim! Satisfied, he turned back to Dib and sat down.

"Great job, Zim," Dib began while lazily nudge and jab his death-waiting-to-happen meal, "You have yet again managed to scare away another normal person AND make yourself look as abnormal as possible."

"ZIM IS NORMAL!"

"Whatever, space scum." How dare he call Zim such names? For Irk sake he was as magnificent as they come! Anger boiled up in the five foot, four inches, green child.

"YOU CAN'T BEGIN T-" The bell cut him off.

"Save it for later, Zim; we have to go back to class. Both boys dumped their trays, Zim reluctantly, and began walking to fourth period. They went separately, so as not to "accidentally" stab each other in the neck, to Mr. Johnson's English class. Fortunately, they sat on opposite sides and ends of the classroom.

The final bell rang and all the teens rushed to their locker and out of the skool building. Dib, however, wasn't in much of a hurry. He threw his books into his already messy locker, grabbed his backpack and a couple books needed for homework, and shut and sealed his locker. Afterwards he took his time, moseying towards the door. Reason being is that he was busy thinking about the new kid.

Would they be a boy or a girl? Would they be snobby or laid back? Popular or unpopular? Intelligent or ignorant? Also, how did Zim know they'd be getting a new kid? He pondered these things not only on the way home, but even when he was upstairs in his bedroom. He was so worried about the matter that he hadn't even kept up with Zim to have their daily fight.

Zim angrily stormed home. The pitiful hyuman hadn't come with him to argue! It was as if he didn't even care! Well he would just have to do something to make him care. Zim would come up with such a stunning plan that the Dib-stink would have to acknowledge his greatness! Grinning in satisfaction of his fantasy, Zim couldn't help but wonder about this new kid.

He had gone and overheard Ms. Bitters talking to the principal about it, but hadn't heard anything else. Why hadn't he stayed to hear more, he couldn't say. Would the hyuman be a male or female? Would they be smarter than Zim? Would they be short or tall? Would they be a threat to Zim's mission? Would they be a threat to Zim?

Now lying on his bed lost in thought, arms crossed behind his head, a couple sharp raps on his door brought Dib back to actuality. With a huff he scrambled off of his bed and made his way to the door. He unlocked it and before him stood his younger sister Gaz. Dib raised a brow and crossed him arms.

"What do you want, Gaz?"

"Dinner's ready," she answered, Game Slave in hand, "You better come down and eat or else."

"I'm not coming," he answered as he began shutting his bedroom door. Gaz only prevented it from closing with her foot.

"I made dinner and you're going to come down and eat." She didn't have to say anything specific for the threat to linger in the air. Though Dib was nervous, he didn't feel particularly up to any food or beatings.

"Bite me," he replied as he used his own foot to shove Gaz's out of the way. He shut and locked his door and lay back down on his bed.

Zim punched in some codes and numbers into his computer, researching possible results of success. His plan? Zim was going to create a small, bug-like device to plant into the new student. This way, even if they were smarter or a likely threat, they would be in his complete control. This way he could make sure that Dib didn't make friends with the child.

He also had another plan to ensure a fight with the Dib-stink. He hoped to capture a good amount of hyuman children to brainwash. After this was done, he would release the children to spread the so-called Ebola disease. Once the pathetic hyumans were infected, Zim would call The Tallest to conduct the armada. Then when Earth was in their grasp, his planet would finally see how amazing he truly was!

Maybe he and the new student would become friends. Maybe they would like the paranormal, just as Dib did, and they got along perfect. But what would happen to Zim? What would he do if Dib spent all his time with his new friend? What would happen to their daily fights, names passed in the skool hallway; their entire routine?

Though why did Dib even care? What if he quit fighting with Zim? What if he quit caring about his plans to conquer Earth? As if he'd ever succeed. What if the alien was abandoned by his one and only arch nemeses? Who cared?

Dib did. Deep down somewhere he knew he couldn't last without Zim being a part, even a small part, of his everyday existence. Somewhere inside himself Dib knew he needed Zim. He also knew that he would never admit that to himself. He would never admit, to himself or anyone else, that he looked forward to fighting Zim each day after school. He would never admit that each name received, each name given, brought him a joy of sorts. He would never admit that he admired the determination of the puny being of green scum. He would never admit that sometimes he simply gazed at his enemy and wondered what Zim looked like underneath his not very revealing clothes-

Dib stopped himself from thinking any further. Was that really what had just been on his mind? No, he couldn't have been. Zim was a form of imbecility that Dib only bothered with for the sake of Earth. Zim was a waste of time that was a hazard to himself and everyone around him. Zim was his enemy; nothing else.

After that Dib wouldn't be able not to notice Zim as well! The human would bow down to him and esteem his greatness. Then, before handing over Earth to his planet, before destroying Earth, he would make Dib beg for mercy. Yes, the victory would be sweet when...

When what? What would he do to Dib? After torturing him, after listening to him scream and plead for mercy; what would he do then? What would happen to the Dib-human after his planet was destroyed? What would happen to the cherished Earthling, complete with adorable blood candies and angry faces? What would happen to all of his smooth, precious skin? What would happen to every inch of deliciousness beneath the fabric that-

Zim stopped himself. Was he just thinking that way? No; Dib was just an inferior piece of filthy debris that just happened to be in his way. Dib was a meaningless little boy who's too scared to do anything more than observe. Dib was just a hyuman that would die, that would burn with his pathetic planet; even of that meant he could no longer rely on the Dib-thing.

Dib sighed and got up. He walked over to his closet and pulled out his black jacket from when he was twelve years old. He slipped it on over his shoulders and arms, surprised that it still fit. Oh, the turmoil that went into getting it. Why he decided to put it back on now was beyond Dib, but he did so anyways.

He unlocked his door and made his way downstairs. He was just a few steps from the back door. Just a few steps from the comfort of night. Just a few steps from a short journey that would take him to an encounter filled with bliss. Just a few steps-

"What are you doing?" Dib turned and saw the person he had hoped wouldn't notice him leaving the house.

"What's it matter to you?"

"If something happens to you Dad will be mad at me," Gaz replied, "The death of his son won't be good news for publicity." Of course; his dad was only worried about what his fans thought.

"And what do I care? I am leaving and you have no say in the matter." Gaz's fists clenched and Dib bolted out the door. Man, was Gaz terrifying.

All strange thoughts about the Dib-hyuman gone, Zim stood up and made his way to the elevator. On his way out he grabbed a laser gun for protection. He also threw on some armor underneath his clothes; you never know what might happen.

"Computer," Zim began, "Take me to the house level." Once up to the house area, Zim made his way through the living room, almost to the door-

"Can I come?" Squealed the voice of G.I.R. Zim turned on his heels and scowled at the robot.

"No, G.I.R; you're not coming," Zim answered.

"Aawww," whined the robot, "Why noooooooot?" Zim growled, mumbling under his breath. He turned and continued on to the door, stopping for a moment at the doorway.

"I don't have time for this," Zim said, "Defend the base while I'm gone!" With that he was out the door and into the coolness of night.

Dib ran down the sidewalk, avoiding the dim gaze of the street lamps. Dodging bushes and mailboxes alike, he maneuvered his way to Zim's house. It was a clear night tonight, exposing the stars and the full moon.

Dib smiled; he couldn't wait to get to the alien scum's house. He was gonna give 'em a what for when he got there, and oh he would be merciless. Afterwards he could come home, eat dinner and watch Mysterious Mysteries of Strange Mystery, and then go upstairs and listen to Skrillex. Tonight he planned on taking care of "business" then go home and enjoy himself. Simply the rewards of saving Earth.

Dib heard a noise, stopped, and crouched down. He looked around himself to see what it was. Out of nowhere a brown tabby cat came from around a corner. It froze, saw Dib, hissed, and ran. Dib chuckled at his own fear; it had only been a cat. He stood up, looking around beforehand, and continued on.

Zim ducked before the startled bird could hit the back of his perfect head. He continued on after pausing to make sure no one noticed he was outside. After a couple moments of reassuring silence, Zim continued on.

A turn to the left, go straight, turn right, one more left, and he'd be on Dib's street. He would run up to the fourth house on the right, pound on his door, and run inside when the Dib-hyuman opened the door. He would drag him out of his home and all the way back to the base. Zim was going to take the pitiful creature down to his lab and strap him down to where he could do absolutely nothing to change his fate.

Oh yes, Zim was going to keep him alive and awake for the entire thing. He would cut him open slowly, so to make sure Dib's screams would last. He would also use the dullest blade he could cut with, just so it would be as painful as possible. He would make the Dib scream his name, make him wail in pain; make him beg for death.

Zim heard a crash and fired his laser gun at the noise. He ran over to where he had shot and saw only the carcass of a now smoking cat. He rolled his eyes and sighed; only a false alarm. Though he turned and barely saw the obscurity of a person flit back into the shadows. Zim smirked.

The alien had seen him and he knew it. Dib had just wanted a closer look at what Zim had been doing, and now his cover was blown. He felt like kicking himself for exposing his shelter. Dib cursed under his breath when a smile came across that stupid green face of his.

He knew where he was anyways, so why not walk out into the open? Dib stood up and walked out into the middle of the road. Zim followed his lead and walked out to meet him.

"So we meet again, Dib-stink."

"So we have, alien scum."

Zim glared up at the pathetic hyuman. Why in the heck did he have to be so tall? My Irk, he was about six feet tall or so. No matter how tall, though, he would never respect him like The Tallest.

"I didn't see you after school today," Zim stated, "You were rather slow in leaving, why so?" Dib immediately thought of how focused he'd been on wondering what the new student would be like. He also remembered how he'd been revolted upon wondering what the puny Irken looked like underneath his attire. He shuddered at the thought, the memory.

"Something wrong, Dib-filth?" The sudden survey of his amber brown eyes stunned Zim. All it took was for the Dib to look up and he was fixated. Zim forced himself into reality and scowled at his enemy.

"No, I'm fine," Dib spat. What was Zim getting at, pretending to care? He clenched his fists and stepped up to the scrawny thing. He flinched, though not meaning to, and Dib felt a pang of guilt. He saw true fear in the foreign being's eyes, and that's what scared him; the fact that Zim was actually frightened by him. He waved the feeling away.

He hated himself right now for flinching, for showing fear. But he had never seen the Dib-thing act like that. What had angered him so, Zim wondered. He quickly jumped to his feet, straightening his spine to make himself taller, and scowled.

And so it began. Zim shoved Dib, whom swung at the terrestrial. Dib caught Zim's left jaw, causing a gruesome crunching sound. Zim recoiled and punched Dib in his chest, forcing him to gasp for breath. Zim took this chance to tackle Dib, pinning him to the ground.

Dib grimaced as he realized Zim had the upper hand. Zim grinned; he knew it too. The alien pulled the glove off of his right hand, revealing his claws. He knew he wouldn't be able to kill to Dib tonight; he could at least torture him mercilessly, though.

Zim brought his hand down to Dib's face, prepared to rake his talon-like nails across the flesh of his face. Instead, Dib drew his legs up to his chest and kicked Zim in his chest with both feet. Zim fell back a couple feet, though his armor prevented him from being seriously affected.

Dib hopped to his feet, now in a crouched position, and pounced on the space waste. He was now pinning Zim down. Dib grinned in satisfaction; domination gave a person such an amazing feeling. Dib reared his left fist back and brought it down with a great amount of force onto Zim's right cheek.

But Zim wasn't going to have it. He grabbed Dib's shoulders, jerked him down, and head-butted him. With the human dizzy, Zim could easily uppercut Dib and pin him back down. He brought his hand down to the Earthanoid's face, clawing it from his forehead to his chin, and drew blood.

Things went on like this for a while; one taking dominance over the other, only for the tables to turn. Bruises were created, bones were crushed and crunched, and blood was spilled. Both boys were enjoying the pain, though, and were going to fight until they were close to death.

Now out of breath and lying on their backs, Zim and Dib had given up. Together they were equally exhausted, together they were equally beat. A mix of both Human and Irken blood was splattered across the pavement, and it looked as if someone had just had a war. But the only thing that had happened was the gleeful game of two boys out to give and receive pain.

Dib looked over at the creature lying next to himself. One of his contacts was cracked; the other one had fallen out. His body was covered in claw marks, bruises, and blood alike. His blood wasn't like Dib's, though; it was more of a rustic brick color. Not really a dark, gory red; more of a deep and sweet strawberry red. With that tint and the purple of his new found injuries, Dib could now see the true color of the alien's flesh. It was a sort of jade, and it stuck out with all the other shades that came with their precious encounters.

Zim saw that the hyuman was staring at him and his brows furrowed. What was he looking at? Though he soon cared less about why he was looking at himself and more about looking at Dib. His blood was so different, so dark, so menacing. It intrigued Zim. Against the paleness of the hyuman's skin, the red of the blood and the purple of his other wounds really stuck e dependent on the out. It was breathtaking; it was beautiful.

Dib saw him smile, eyes barely open, and forced himself to get up. This was becoming too weird too quick, and it was making Dib nervous. Anxious, even. He spit a mouthful of saliva and blood onto the ground beside Zim, who hardly even cared. He just looked upset that Dib had moved from their trance.

Zim noticed that he was pouting and changed his expression to a scowl. What was wrong with him? He coughed up some blood, mustered up the strength, and got into a standing position. He was wobbly, but he was still on his feet. He glared daggers at his enemy whom stood in front of him.

"I'll be watching you at school tomorrow, alien waste."

"I'd check yourself for bugs when you get home, Dib-stink." Zim couldn't help but notice that Dib had dug up his Secret Eyeball jacket from 6th grade. He smiled at the memory; they'd been so young then. Dib only scowled back at him; wasn't he grumpy today. Zim shook his head and walked over to the side of the road to retrieve his laser gun that had skidded over there in mid-fight.

After tucking his weapon away, Zim turned and began walking home. Dib did the same thing, walking in the opposite direction. Zim could have shot Dib with his gun. Dib could have also tackled Zim while his back was turned. The reason they hadn't done those things is because neither of them had actually come to kill one another.


	3. Tazi

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Chapter Three: Tazi

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Dib let his head fall onto his front door and stood there. One moment of quiet rest before entering his home and being questioned by his sister. He sighed and grasped the doorknob, reluctantly turning it and stumbling inside. Dib quietly walked inside and into the dark kitchen. He reached up and flipped the light switch, only for Gaz to be sitting in one of the chairs.

Dib jumped and gasped at the same time, clutching his chest afterwards. Why in the heck was she sitting there in the dark? She showed no smile, no pleasure in the act of scaring her older brother. She only spoke.

"What the hell happened to you?" She asked, "And why are you home so late?" Dib walked over to the microwave, heated his dinner up, and came over to sit down with a groan.

"Does it matter?" Dib asked, "Besides, since when do you care?" He picked up his fork and stabbed his chicken. Instead of cutting it up, he just lifted it up and bit off the piece as a whole.

"I'm asking the questions," Gaz replied, "Answer me." Preferably, Dib continued eating. He stopped to take a huge drink of a Poop Cola. Man, was he starving. Fighting and dodging an alien sure did take a lot of energy. Dib froze when Gaz slammed her fists against the table.

"I waited three hours for you to come home, just to find out what it is you were doing," Gaz began threateningly, "Now you're home and you are going to tell me how you were beat up so badly." Dib stared at his sister in awe; she really wanted to know, didn't she?

"Well that's your own fault," Dib replied, "What I do when I leave this house is my business and it is none of yours." With that he was scarfing down his corn. He was particularly brave today, and that would probably only enrage her further. But he himself was actually not worried about Gaz; he was mainly worried about what had happened with Zim besides fighting.

Gaz stood up, ready to take some anger out his body, but Dib simply held up a hand. By now she looked ready to burst, and Dib had to admit he was pushing it. He finished the last bite of mashed potatoes, carried his plate to the sink, and rinsed it off. He finished the last of his Poop Cola and tossed it into the trash can.

"Gaz, not tonight," he began, "I am tired and now full; it's only a matter of time before I fall asleep. I know you were probably looking forward to beating me to a pulp, but someone got there before you did." Even saying that, Dib hadn't told her who had did it to him or why.

"Why you little..." Dib dashed upstairs before she could do anything. He staggered into his room and clumsily shut and locked his door in a hurry. He let out a sigh of relief; that was close.

Dib slid down to the floor and just sat there. Had he really been gone for three hours? He forced himself to stand up and walked over to his alarm clock; 8:27. Dib sighed and grabbed his headphones and IPod off of his dresser. He turned it on and slipped the padded speakers over his head. He took off his shirt, revealing the sweat beads that trailed across his torso, and examined the wounds that covered him.

Zim slowly and carefully slipped his uniform top off of his shoulders. He set it aside and looked down to see if he'd been injured. There were only a couple bruises and some sweat, but other than that his armor had protected his torso.

Zim got up, walking over to a mirror, and looked at his beaten face. Dib had gotten him good; his face was covered in bruises, and his jaw was probably broken. He scowled; how dare the pitiful hyuman? Grumbling to himself, he began to tend to heal his injuries.

"Hellooooo master!" G.I.R yelled as he ran into the room carrying a squid in his arms. Zim raised a lekku in a questionable confusion. His henchman only threw the squid at him as he squealed in some sort of joy. Zim angrily grabbed the disgusting sea creature and jerked it off of his face. He was about to scream and rant to the idiotic robot, only to find that he was no longer present in the room. Grumbling to himself, Zim put the squid away.

He walked away from the tanks and picked up a bottle that was about a foot tall and full of a clear goo-like substance. Zim popped the cork out of the bottle and poured some into the palm of his hand. He then rubbed it on one of his bruises. The material then changed to the colors of the mark, and afterwards was absorbed into Zim's skin. His flesh now looked as perfect and superior as it did before the Dib-thing dared to punch him. He began doing the same thing to the rest of his bruises.

Soon all that was left of Zim's wounds was a broken jaw and a scraped chin. Zim grabbed a beaker of a dark blue liquid and a beaker of a pale yellow liquid and poured one into another. They mixed together and created a grass green at first, but then changed into a lavender shade. Zim filled a syringe with this mixture and set it down.

The alien picked up an alcohol pad and rubbed it across the skin covering his broken jaw. He picked up the syringe and carefully sinks it into his flesh until the two almost three inch needle couldn't be seen. He pressed down the pump, injecting the liquid he had made into his bone. Zim slowly removed the needle from his face, so as not to break the sharp metal off into his precious plasma.

Zim set the syringe down and as he did so he could feel his bone lifting up and re-connecting to the other half. He looked at himself in his mirror; the only injury he would have tomorrow would be a scraped chin and sore muscles. Zim grinned in satisfaction; the hyuman hadn't beaten him.

Now bored, Zim thought of something he could possibly do. He glanced around his lab for something that interested him at the moment. He found nothing, so hopped off the metal examining table he now sat on. Feeling curious and having not contacted them in a while, Zim decided to give his Tallest a call.

When Dib had done all he could, which was make sure he didn't get any infections, he sat down on the floor in front of his door. He could still hear Gaz downstairs. If he so as much as opened his bedroom door, she would come upstairs and kick his... ahem "rear end."

Though when he had mustered up the courage, he dashed from his room and into the bathroom. He locked the door as soon as it was closed, set out a couple towels, and turned on the water. He began taking the rest of his clothes off as he waited for the water to heat up. He didn't bother taking any of his piercings out, even though he was supposed to; he didn't feel like it.

Dib turned the turn the shower on, stepped inside, and pulled the curtain to cover the entire tub. He let out a long sigh and leaned his body against the wall. He let the steaming hot water fall onto him and run down his flesh. He soon soaked his hair to the point of sagging down and sticking onto the sides of his face and hanging in front of his eyes. He didn't mind, though, as he was too deep in his thoughts.

"My Tallest?!" Zim yelled at the screen until his leaders finally appeared on the screen, groaned, and replied.

"Zim we're kind of busy right now," began Tallest Red.

"Yeah!" Continued Tallest Purple, "And what we're busy with is none of your business!" They then hung up, the signal disconnected. Zim stood still there for a few minutes in confusion. What could they be so busy with that they couldn't see how truly amazing Zim was? He shook his head and walked away from the giant screen that hung on his wall.

He walked over to his elevator, went up to a secret level of his house, and stepped inside. He took a deep, relaxing breath, then walked over to the bed that sat in the middle of the room. Zim took off his uniform bottom, leaving him in only underwear, and grabbed a bar of cleansing chalk. He began running it all over his sweaty, dirty body.

Dib stepped out of the shower and dried his body and hair. He brushed his teeth and hair then, wrapping the towel around his middle, Dib unlocked and opened the bathroom door. He silently ran across the hallway and into the safety of his bedroom, where he locked the door behind himself. Letting out a sigh, Dib dropped the towel to the floor and put on some underwear.

Dib pulled the covers down some and climbed onto his bed. He pulled his comforter, a new one that mapped a chart of the stars on it, up to his chest. He then took his glasses off, placing him on his nightstand to his left, and fell asleep, exhausted.

Zim had finally finished, and he now felt clean and satisfied. He fell onto his bed wrapping only his sheets around himself, and got comfortable. The coolness of his bed comforted Zim. And, even though he didn't require any sleep, Zim was lulled into a deep slumber.

The next day, Dib awoke to the annoying and endless beeping of his alarm clock. He silenced it, looking at the time; 5:30. Dib groaned and clambered from his bed. He put on his favorite shirt, a pair of his many black pants, and a pair of black, knee-high boots with plenty of unnecessary buckles.

He then walked downstairs groggily and made his way to the kitchen. Gaz was there, eating a piece of charred toast, and she only glanced over at Dib. Dib sat down with the bowl of cereal he had made, four feet from his sister, and could smell the scent of booze on Gaz's breath. He pained him to know that at only fifteen she was an alcoholic.

Zim opened his eyes slowly, a look of innocence in the maroon, and looked over at the clock floating beside him. He scowled; it was 7:48. He dove out of bed, threw his clothes on, and made his way to the elevator. He went up to the house level, grabbed his backpack, and went outside. He ran down the street, headed for the inferior highskool.

When he got there, he made a dash to his homeroom class and hopped into his assigned seat. It was now 7:58; he'd had two minutes to spare. He grinned at his own success and realized he'd left the device he had planned on using on the new kid. Upon doing so, he scowled. How could he have forgotten? He began grumbling to himself.

Dib sat four seats in front of the alien and yet he could hear him grumbling to himself. Dib had been wondering where the parasite was and why he wasn't at school when he had come running into homeroom. Out of breath, he'd come crashing through the door and fell into his seat. It was so much like Zim and yet, why had he been late? Considerably, that's not "normal."

So... would the new kid be in their homeroom? Would they sit by him? Would they have any classes with him? Would they be nice to him? Would they make friends with him? Would they... make friends with Zim? Dib became sick at the thought.

Four classes later, Zim sat down in front of Dib in the lunchroom. He didn't look up, didn't even glance. What was wrong with him? How dare he make not a single acknowledgement to Zim and his greatness? He slammed his fist on the table; nothing. He slammed both fists on the table, harder this time; still nothing.

Why was the Dib-hyuman ignoring him? A growl escaped Zim as he picked up his fork and stabbed Dib in the arm, though not hard enough to draw blood. Dib snapped his head up and glared at him. Zim grinned.

"What was that for?!" He exclaimed, "What do you want?" What did Zim want? He wanted the Dib-thing to stop ignoring him!

"Just getting your attention, Dib-stink," he began, "Have you seen the new worm-baby yet?" Dib shook his head.

"No, I haven't seen them; I don't think they're here yet," he replied, "I'm starting to wonder if they're actually coming today." He was actually wondering if they even existed. This could just be a distraction that Zim had come up with so he could take over Earth! Dib scowled.

"Of course they're coming today!" That's what Zim had heard, anyways. If Ms. Bitters was wrong, if she made a fool of him, he would kill her then bring her back to life so he could kill her even worse!

"How do you know, Zim?" Dib was tired of him acting like he knew everything; tired of him acting so cocky. For once Dib would like to hear him admit something bad about himself. But for that to happen, the world would have to be ending.

"Does is matter, Dib-filth?" Dib sighed. What was wrong with him? He couldn't possibly be bored or irritated by Zim; he was too superior.

"You know what? Never mind, Zim; now go away." Dib was tiring of this conversation. He got up, dumped his "food" in the garbage, and set his tray on the roller-table. He went to walk over to the doorway and back to his fourth period class.

Zim watched as Dib made his way to the exit of the lunchroom. His insides boiled and there was on odd feeling in the pit of his squeedily-spooch. Dib grabbed the door handle, pulled the door back, and walked forwards.

Dib gasped as he ran into someone who had been entering the cafeteria. They both fell backwards and lay in the floor in shock for a few moments. When Dib did sit up, his eyes widened. He had never seen this girl before... could she be? He wasn't going to take any chances.

Dib stood up and held a hand out. The girl looked up at him, fear and curiosity brimming in her breathtakingly deep blue eyes. Dib's heart melted in the seven seconds that they were completely still, and finally the girl reached up and took Dib's hand.

Zim watched, his anger getting hotter with each second, as the girl stumbling onto Dib. Both of their blood candies showed and the girl instantly back away, as did Dib. Who did she think she was? He tried to control himself, instead watching and reading their lips.

"H-Hi," the girl began, "Thanks for helping me up." Dib was at a loss for words. This girl... something about her made him feel amazing.

"No problem," Dib answered. Dib cursed under his breath; his voice was shaky as heck. It didn't help when the girl stepped up to Dib, arms behind her back.

"I'm sorta new here," she began, "Could you maybe help me?" Dib was in shock. But he jumped at the opportunity, not hesitating for a moment.

"Of course!" He answered, "By the way, what's your name?" She looked down at the ground, obviously shy and nervous, before answering.

"I-I'm Tazi."

"I'm Dib." She looked up and smiled at him. What was going on between the Earthlings? Why were they acting so weird? Standing up and storming up to the two of them, he'd decided to find out.

Dib turned, eyes wide, when he noticed Zim coming towards them. Zim, a scowl upon his face, was ready to explode. Soon he came to be standing in front of them, a mixture of unknown feelings bubbling inside of him.

"Hello, Dib-smell," he stated promptly. Dib sighed.

"What is it, Zim?" He went with the alien's name and only his name; he wanted to make a good impression on Tazi.

"Isn't it obvious, pitiful hyuman?"

Dib shook his head and turned to Tazi. He gestured to the arrogant green child.

"Tazi, this is Zim." Tazi waved at Zim, but said nothing. She looked suddenly sick and pale in the face.

"Are you okay?" She nodded. He wasn't sure, though.

"Are you sure?" Dib asked, placing his hand on her shoulder. She nodded again.

"Are you hungry?" Tazi glanced around Dib and shook her head.

"Alright then," Dib replied, "What class do you have next?"

"Mrs. Daniels." Dib grinned; that was his next class. Though it was also Zim next class. His smile faded.

"I can show you the way, if you'd like." Tazi smiled. Zim scowled; they were both ignoring him. His fists clenched at his sides. He bared his teeth, his anger getting closer and closer to becoming too much. Bitter emotions and ideas were brewing inside, and it was all about to boil over.

"I would love that, Dib." Now Zim was sick. But before he could do anything, the both of them left. A horrible taste in his mouth, Zim sat back down at the inferior table with a sigh.

"Why don't you sit here by me?" A grin came to Tazi's lips. It pleased Dib to see her so happy, to see her getting along with him. Tazi was about six inches shorter than he was. Her hair was a shaggy pop punk style that was a mixture of dark candy apple red and violet. She was wearing a skull and bones tee with a black mini skirt that had dark purple leggings underneath. Her boots were very similar to his own; long, black and had lots of unnecessary buckles and straps. Dib couldn't help but grin.

"Sure," she answered. She plopped down in the seat to the left of Dib's and Dib gladly sat at his desk next to her. A couple minutes later, Zim showed up and a few minutes after that, Science class began.

Zim sat in his lab, grumbling to himself. Another day had gone by that the pathetic Dib-worm hadn't waited for him; another day they hadn't fought. He hadn't even paid Zim any attention or called him any names! Zim called out in pain when he accidentally cut himself instead of the squid's head when he wasn't being careful.

Zim bandaged his finger and continued on angrily mutilating the sea creature before him. How could Dib just give up on his arch-nemesis, on Earth? You don't just do that! This girl; she shouldn't make a difference; so why was she making one?

Tazi and Dib walked down the sidewalk, talking and laughing. They were walking home together like they'd been for the past couple of weeks. Dib had never actually been to Tazi's house. What if she lives alone? What if it's just her Father or just her Mother, and their... not nice? What if she doesn't even have a home? Dib shuddered at the thought.

They came upon Dib's house and stopped at the edge of his driveway. By now Dib had already decided he'd pretend to go inside his house and instead follow Tazi to see where she lived, and if she was okay there.

"Bye, Dib," she said softly to him.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Tazi." Dib bowed like Taxi hated, though she giggled anyways. Smiling, Dib turned and walked up his driveway.

It didn't make sense. How could the Dib be so affected by a simple human? Zim bashed his fists on the table, causing G.I.R to jump and squeal. He then ran out of the room screaming about pigs and taquitos. Zim groaned.

But it wasn't like Zim cared if Dib was paying attention or not. This was a good thing; a distraction. Zim could now easily take over Earth and earn the respect of his planet. That was why he was still here... right?

He looked over his shoulder and saw that Tazi had turned and continued walking. Smirking to himself, Dib walked back up the driveway and began following Tazi. He was quiet when he first began walking, but at some point he tripped and landed on a branch. It snapped, causing a loud noise, and Dib dove behind a tree. Tazi turned around just after he was safely hidden. He sighed with relief and continued on, this time more careful, when she turned facing forwards again.

Zim shook his head and prevented all similar, questioning thoughts from entering his mind. How could he doubt his plan, himself, his mission? Why were these feeling invading his thought-process? Did the Dib-filth have some sort of mind control over him? Yes, that was probably it. And the inferior worm-baby would pay for it, too.

Tazi walked through two different streets before coming to the last house on the left of a dead-end road. She walked up her walkway, and by the time she closed her fingers around the door knob, Dib was standing behind unsuspecting teen.

"Boo!" Dib yelled, wrapping both arms completely around Tazi. She jumped, a girly, high-pitched squeal of surprise escaping her. She looked down, recognizing the sleeves of Dib's jacket, and smiled while blushing lightly.

"D-dib?" She began, "What are you doing? L-let me go!" Dib shook his head and rested it on Tazi's shoulder, knowing she wouldn't mind.

"I'm here to see where you live and who lives with you." Dib could feel Tazi's body tense up.

"W-why? Dib, you don't have to I'm fine, really-" Dib let go of Tazi, cutting her off, and pushed her towards the door. He opened it, and they both stumbled inside Tazi's house.

But was getting payback with Dib really good enough? Dib and Tazi had really grown close. If Zim took his anger out on Tazi, if he hurt her, got rid of her; that would crush Dib. And after he was broken, Zim would gladly fix him and make the hyuman his slave. And as his loyal slave, he would have to, want to do anything his master asked of him.

Dib let Tazi go and marveled at her huge house. It looked so much smaller from the outside... Tazi walked up beside Dib and smirked. This is what he'd wanted, and, honestly, it really wasn't hurting anything. So as long as he didn't ask her any questions, Tazi was okay with him being inside her home.

"So where are your parents?" Tazi froze, worrying Dib. What was waiting for Dib now that he had asked that? He stepped closer to Tazi, about a foot away from her.

I...uh..." she began, "I don't have any." Dib's eyes widened. So who took care of her? How did she have this house? A wave of guilt suddenly overtook Dib; maybe he was making it worse by asking about it.

"I'm sorry for asking, Tazi." He'd taken her by surprise; he could tell by the way she jumped back, eyes wide. She'd expected him to continue pressing on why she didn't have any or who took care of her but, no, he hadn't done that. Instead Dib had apologized for bringing the subject up. Tazi smiled.

"It's fine," she replied, "Do you wanna see my room?" Dib nodded and hung an arm out to the side of himself.

"Lead the way," He said. Tazi walked in front of him and Dib followed her every movement. She made a left and walked up a flight or two of stairs.

Yes, it was a perfect plan. Infect Tazi was a deadly-to-all-species disease, causing her death, and the Dib-creature would be all Zim's. The hyuman wouldn't question him, wouldn't disobey him; it would be perfect.

A perfect slave. Nothing more. Zim went on breeding and recreating different Irken germs. Zim grinned; he could see it happening now. He would place the fatal disease, and when it entered Tazi's system, how glorious it would be, Zim could hardly imagine. The germ would begin to devour Tazi's cells, reproducing as they went along, causing her to slowly weak. As the pest moved through her body, as the infection worsened and spread, it would grow more and more painful for the Tazi-hyuman.

She opened a door on the right and they stepped inside. Painted on Tazi's walls was a map of the stars. From the ceiling hung aliens of all kinds. There were a few posters on her walls, including one of Bigfoot, one of a vampire, and a Mysterious Mysteries of Strange Mystery. Tazi's bed was in the shape of an open spacecraft, kind of like Zim's, with bedclothes that were a dark blue. It did seem a little kid-like, but Dib didn't care; he liked it.

Tazi turned towards Dib when she noticed his dropped jaw. What was the matter with him? Did he not like the room? Did he love the room? Was her room not like it was supposed to be? Wasn't she being normal enough?

Dib turned towards Tazi, saw the worried expression on her face, and closed his mouth. Standing up straight, making himself the 6 foot 5 inches tall teen he was, he told Tazi that he though her room was amazing. She smiled and blushed lightly.

"It's not that great..." she mumbled.

"Are you kidding me? This room is amazing!" Tazi looked down at the floor, her smile having widened.

Finally; he was finished. In an air-tight, code-sealed container was the disease Zim planned to infect Tazi with. It would be such a simple action, and yet the results would be so gratifying. Smirking to himself, Zim placed the cylinder in his skool bag for tomorrow, the day of his revenge.


	4. Revenge With A Side Of Jealousy

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Revenge With a Side Of Jealousy

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Zim watched as Tazi and dib talked away, not giving Zim the slightest glance. Anger boiled inside the Irken like slow burning magma inside a volcano, just waiting to erupt. Zim clenched the sides of his desk, doing his best not to ruin everything.

Zim carefully pulled the small cylinder out of his pak. Holding it gingerly in the palm of his hand, Zim walked over to the cafeteria table the two hyumans were sitting at. They were so deep into their conversation that they didn't notice him when Zim sat down. He slowly unscrewed the lid of his jar-like container and looked up to make sure that his actions weren't being seen. Smiling to himself, Zim poured the disease into Tazi's milk. Zim twisted the lid back on and put it away before standing. He walked away, a grin of success and malice on his face.

Dib turned and saw Zim out of the corner of his eye. He snapped his head to his direction, glaring, and yet the alien only grinned. What had he done? Dib looked down, first examining his "food." When he found nothing out of the ordinary, he looked over at Tazi's tray; nothing still. Dib picked up his milk, looked inside it, then smelled it; nothing different.

That's when he looked back over to his right and saw Tazi lifting her milk carton to her lips. Eyes wide, Dib snatched it out of her hand before any of the dairy could enter her mouth. He pressed a small button on the left arm of his glasses, activating the forensics scanner (you), and peered inside at the light brown substance. Dib's glasses picked up foreign, microscopic organisms. He looked up, pressing the button on his glasses again and merely smiled smugly at Zim. He glowered at Dib.

How had the hyuman known what he was going to do? Was this his mind control again? Zim shook his head and walked out of the cafeteria and back to class. How could there have been a flaw in his superior plan? Zim stalked to his desk, grumbling, and sat down, arms crossed in front of himself.

Tazi turned to him, deep blue eyes brimming with confusion. Dib only smiled, trying to wave away her worry, but it didn't work. How much did he know, Tazi wondered. Was he on her side, or was he helping him? Did she have to worry, or was she just paranoid? Who knew, honestly?

"It's okay," Dib began when Tazi's brows furrowed, placing his hand on her shoulder, "What do you say to hangin' out at my place after school today?" Tazi's muscles relaxed some, and a weak smile came upon her lips. Dib smiled back, making Tazi relax completely. They then stood, making their way back to the classroom.

Dib walked as Tazi walked cautiously down the hallway beside him. He couldn't help but watch the reaction of every single stressed muscle as she followed him to their class. Both of her hands were held up just below where her ribs were, and she fidgeted with them as she walked. Her eyebrows seemed to be of a different crease with every step she took. Dib wondered what she was thinking about.

That was when Tazi looked over at Dib, an expression on her face that looked as if she'd been caught murdering someone. Beautiful eyes wide, Tazi stopped. When she did, Dib also came to a halt. Dib raised a questioning brow.

"What's wrong?" He asked. Tazi just shook her head and looked down at the floor. Dib walked over to her, reached both arms out, and grabbed both of Tazi's hands. He squeezed both of them, and then just held them gently.

Where was the inferior Tazi-hyuman? More importantly, where was the Dib-thing? Class was going to start in three minutes; where were they? Zim snapped his head to his left when he felt a poke in his arm.

"Uh..." began The Letter M, "Are you okay Zim? You're a grumblin' like a crazy monkey!" Why was it that these pathetic worm-babies never made any sense? Zim yelled that he was normal and The Letter M turned away. Zim faced back towards the front. What were those hyumans doing that was keeping them from class?

It seemed like Dib wanted, needed to do something. Tazi couldn't tell what it was; she wasn't experienced enough. There was some sort of intense feeling, though, that just hung in the air like a dense fog. It made Tazi nervous; it made it hard to breathe.

Dib let go of Tazi's hands, his cheeks having reddened to a very dark shade, and began walking again. Tazi followed behind him; Dib could see her out of the corner of his eye. What had he been trying to pull back there? He wasn't even sure. Dib shook his head, squeezed the bridge of his nose with his fingers, and concentrated on getting back on time.

The shrill, piercingly loud clangs of the bell made Zim jump. He stood from his desk, shuffled out of the classroom with everyone else, and made his way to his locker. He gathered some textbooks, clumsily tossing them into his backpack, and slung the heap of cloth over his shoulder.

Zim turned and saw Tazi laughing. Dib stood beside her, grinning in satisfaction. Though when he turned towards Zim his smile faded. It was replaced with his silly little blood candies. What was wrong with him? Tazi saw Dib's expression and turned to see what he was looking at. Her smile vanished also, and her face simply paled.

Dib wrapped an arm around her, reluctantly looking away from Zim. Why was the space scum staring at him and Tazi? What was his problem? Dib did have to admit that he missed fighting with the alien, but people just have to move on. Zim would probably never even take over Earth.

Upon seeing the frustrated look on Dib's face, Tazi became worried. What was wrong with him? Did it have anything to do with Zim? Did it have anything to do with him? Tazi shook her head, looking down at the ground, and Dib sensed her motion. What had been making her so distraught? Did it have something to do with him? Was it because of Zim?

Zim kicked another rock and it skidded ahead of him on the sidewalk. What was wrong with the Dib? Why wasn't he fighting him, preventing him from taking over his stupid ball of filth? Didn't he care anymore? Zim waved it away instantly when he heard the chatter of two voices.

Zim quietly ran up to the edge of the fence, the sounds he heard getting louder. Zim looked around the corner of the wood, hidden by the fence, and saw Tazi and Dib. They were standing at the edge of Dib's driveway, laughing and talking like there was no tomorrow. Dib had his hands in his jacket pockets, smiling as he watched Tazi. Tazi was holding her hands behind her back as they talked. The situation was becoming too much for Zim as a foreign emotion swelled up inside him.

Zim looked down to his left and saw a single, gray stone just sitting there. Unable to resist the urge, Zim picked it up. He held it carefully in his hand, turned back to the two worm-creatures, and took his aim. Using all the strength he had in his left arm, Zim hurled the stone at Tazi. It hit her right in her temple causing her to fall to the ground.

"Tazi!" Dib exclaimed, dropping to the ground beside her, "Are you alright?" What had just happened? They'd been standing here, having a good time, when Tazi fell to the ground all of a sudden. Dib tried to pull Tazi's hand from her head, but it wouldn't budge.

"Let me see how bad it is," Dib told her. She shook her head.

"I'm fine," she told him. Zim heard that much. Though he could sense the lie in her voice. Zim watched carefully as Tazi held the wound on her head. But just for a moment, just one small moment, Tazi moved her fingers from her flesh just barely. Zim saw the blood smeared on her skin, saw what color it was.

It wasn't crimson.

Dib walked Tazi inside and into his bathroom. Grabbed a black rag and wet it with warm water. Tazi stared at the rag, eyes wide. Dib lifted the cloth up to Tazi's forehead, in which was still being covered by Tazi's hands.

"You have to move your hand so that I can clean your wound," Dib began, "It might get infected if you don't let me." Tazi only slid down to the floor and curled into a ball, hands still covering her injury. Dib's brows furrowed and he crouched down in front of Tazi.

"Tazi, what's wrong?" She didn't answer him. Dib grabbed Tazi's arm, yanking it away from her head, and wiped the blood off of Tazi's flesh and hands. He didn't really pay attention to its color, though, only to the fact that the water on the washrag was so hot steam arose from it. He set it down on the kitchen sink, feeling somewhat guilty for forcing Tazi into doing something.

"Tazi," he began, blushing lightly, "I'm sorry. Are you okay?" Tazi nodded. Dib stood up and helped Tazi to stand. They walked into Dib's room, only for Gaz to jump out of nowhere. She leaned against his door frame and simply looked past Dib and at Tazi.

"Who's that?" She asked. Dib followed Gaz's gaze, though already knowing who she was talking about, and turned towards Tazi.

"Gaz," Dib began, "This is Tazi." Gaz raised an eyebrow.

"So what, is she like your girlfriend or something?" Both Dib and Tazi blushed deep shades of red. Gaz smirked.

"Okay; I get it," Gaz said, "Just don't be too loud or make any messes, you two." With that, satisfied with what she gathered, Gaz went back downstairs.

Zim held a grin on his face as he walked back home. He was proud of himself for aiming so well and hitting Tazi hard enough to draw blood. Though, at the same time, he was curious about the shade of blood Tazi had. It wasn't hyuman; Zim knew that much. But what was she? Zim hadn't been able to look long enough to see what exact color the vital fluid had been; just long enough to see that it wasn't hyuman.

Zim tripped on a crevice in the sidewalk. He fell, his face scraping on the concrete, and gasped for breath. He struggled to sit up and touched the wounded part of his face. He winced at the pain and smiled at it also. It reminded Zim of the old days between him and the stupid little worm-baby.

He forced himself not to think about the past; the past was behind him. The present was different, so he'd just have to get used to it. He'd just have to adapt. Instead, Zim looked at the blood now on his fingers. What was the real purpose for it? Was it really there to keep him alive, or was it only there to mock him.

What was the real purpose of pain? Was it really there to let you know that something was wrong? When something hurts... is it really necessary? Of course, Zim thought; pain is very necessary. He knew because his pain helped to remind him that he was still alive, that his heart was still beating; it was there to remind him that he wasn't dead. Not yet.

Dib watched as Tazi hesitated, though she did eventually sit down beside him. Dib scooted back so he could lean against his bedroom wall, and grabbed his TV remote. He pressed the 'power' button and turned the television to his favorite show. Tazi smiled, realized she was doing so, and let her smile fade. She did scoot back to sit beside Dib, even though she wouldn't smile.

Why was she like this? Why did she refuse to let herself smile? Why did she refuse to let herself be happy for very long? What did she think of herself? What did she think about her life? What did she think about Zim? What did she think about him? What was she thinking about right now?

Tazi couldn't help but notice, out of the corner of her eye, that Dib's brows were furrowed. He looked curious, he looked confused; he was looking at her.

Tazi tried to ignore it, but she just couldn't. What was thinking about? Was something wrong? Wasn't Tazi doing what master had said? Wasn't she being normal enough?

Dib saw that Tazi looked stressed, and that was probably because of him. He quit worrying so much and smiled. She turned her entire body to him, legs scrunched up and choppily layered hair falling into different positions. Her hair was to the length where it could cover half of her neck, exposing the rest of her pale skin. Dib swallowed and tried not to seem nervous.

Today Tazi had worn a black and dark purple corset, a black leather short skirt with black fish net leggings, and two foot boots with three inch wedges. Her boots were the same purple that was on her top, and they were of course complete with a good amount of buckles. Tazi had also been wearing a jacket. Though she left it on the coat rack in the living room. It was a Mysterious Mysteries of Strange Mystery jacket, but it wasn't the one Dib had on now.

Zim made himself stand up and continue home. He'd hate to end up wandering home in the dark; who knows what G.I.R would end up doing. Zim shuddered at the thought and began walking faster. By the time Zim had made it to his base, the sun had just begun to set. He rushed inside and looked around. G.I.R lay on the couch with an empty pizza box asleep. If robots could even sleep...

Zim left him there and went down to his lab. He cleansed his face and bandaged it, only then becoming bored. What time was it? Zim looked down at his watch and saw that it was only about six forty. Curious, Zim logged onto (hacked into) the Irken database. He first scrolled through all the planets that had been captured in the last century, only to become bored.

"So..." Dib began somewhat confidently, "What are your favorite colors?" Tazi thought; favorite colors? She'd never really thought about it but...

"I guess I'd have to say blood red and dark purple, if you don't count black." She answered him louder than Dib expected. It still wasn't that loud, but at least she hadn't mumbled it.

"Cool."

"What are your favorite colors?" Dib inhaled sharply, slightly surprised. He hadn't ever recalled Tazi asking him a question, or ever asking him for anything.

"Dark blue and black."

"Those are some good colors." It had been a great little discussion, but now it was just quiet. Refusing to let the sudden silence become awkward, Dib thought of another question.

"What kind of music do you listen to?" Music? Tazi didn't really know about a lot of music, but for the few weeks she'd been here she'd been listening to...

"I like punk rock and dub step; Skrillex especially." Dib grinned, but only for a moment.

"Awesome!" He exclaimed, "I listen to dub step and a few different kinds of rock." Tazi smiled, causing Dib to sigh unintentionally. Why was he acting so nervous around her? She was just a girl, just a friend; right?

Tazi shuddered, catching Dib's attention. She brought her arms up and hugged herself, covering her bare arms. Dib went to pull his comforter out from underneath him when he realized that might not help much. Instead he wrapped his arms around Tazi and pulled her to sit between his now slightly spread apart legs. Dib stretched out the sides of his jacket and brought them around Tazi. Dib thought she might object, but instead she only snuggled closer to him. Dib smiled.

So why not look through something interesting? Zim looked carefully and found diseases that an Irken can contract. But weren't Irkens too superior to have flaws? Apparently not. Zim read about one illness that caused the host to vomit non-stop maggots. Zim quivered at the idea. He continued on and found another one that caused the receiver to be born without one of their limbs. Zim read about one last defect, it being where an Irken could obtain or inherit other personalities. Becoming even more bored than before, Zim skipped the rest of the information describing the mutation of sorts.

It said at the end that these weaknesses were created by mating "manually." Zim grinned; thankfully, his species cloned to reproduce. Not like they used to. Zim shook his head, as he was glad to be ahead of those inferior times.

But then this awful feeling crept up into him. It ate through Dib's insides and left gaping holes all through him. Having Tazi here, snuggling with him, it felt wonderful. It felt marvelous, miraculous, amazing, nerve-racking, and sweetly beautiful. It also felt wrong. Terribly, terribly wrong. But why? What was wrong with this perfect moment? Why was he guilty?

In the pit of himself, Dib knew why. He wasn't going to admit it, though. Instead he was going to savor this moment right now. Dib looked down and saw that Tazi had curled her arms around him, her head resting on his chest, and had fallen asleep. He smiled sheepishly and put his arms around her. Already as close as can be, Tazi struggled to get even closer to Dib in her sleep.

So what now? Zim weighed his options, and, after looking at the time, came up with an idea. Why not take G.I.R out and find the pitiful Tazi-hyuman's house? After he did so, Zim could easily take out his anger on her fragile bones. After he had that knowledge, he could easily infiltrate her home and ruin her life.

Zim grabbed a laser gun, went up to the home area, and woke up G.I.R. he was groggy at first, but soon sprang into action.

"What are we doing, master?" Zim smirked, thoughts and plans and fantasies swimming through his head.

"We're going to wage a war," Zim answered. In a maniacal way, that is what they were doing. Though titles didn't matter to Zim. No, the only thing that mattered was what changed after everything was done and over with. And, even though this was a serious statement to make, the stupid little robot squealed with glee anyhow.

Dib looked at the time and saw that it was getting late. He gently, slowly shook Tazi to wake her up. Dib watched as Tazi's eyes opened slowly, revealing her magnificent blue irises. They were awash with a worried curiosity and bemusement. Tazi looked up at Dib after blinking a couple times and smiled. Though the smile soon after faded and was replaced with a deep blush. Tazi reluctantly sat up and moved away from Dib. She looked over at the time and gathered how late it was.

"I'll walk you home, Tazi," Dib told her reassuringly. She nodded once and stood up. Dib watched as she stretched, a good size yawn escaping her. Dib got off the bed himself and together they walked downstairs. Gaz was passed out on the couch, Game Slave in hand. Dib guided Tazi down the hall, grabbed her jacket, and they were out the front door.

The two of them walked down the beaten sidewalk at a leisurely pace. It was a clear night and all the stars could be seen. Dib looked over and saw that Tazi was messing with her hands like she had something she wanted to say. Raising a brow, Dib asked Tazi what was the matter.

Tazi looked up at him, moonlight making her eyes shine and glisten. Her eyebrows creased and she quickly looked back down at the ground. Still curious, Dib didn't move his gaze from her direction.

She had wanted to ask, but if she did, Dib would probably suspect something. If she fit in, if she belonged, she would already know the answer. But she wasn't and she didn't. And she didn't plan on giving either away.


	5. Once Upon A Stormy Night

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Once Upon A Stormy Night

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Zim walked up what had to be the hundredth walkway he'd walked up. Lifting his hand towards the dark colored wood, Zim rapped his knuckles against the hard surface. He backed up a couple steps afterwards, unsure of what was about to happen.

"LOOKIE!" G.I.R yelled out of nowhere, making Zim jump, "A SQUIRREL!" Zim cursed under his breath in Irken and flashed a glare over at the tiny robot.

Both Dib and Tazi jumped upon hearing the sudden knocks on the front door. Tazi went to get it, but Dib waved her away. She sat back down as Dib began walking down stairs and through hallways to the door. He didn't look outside before opening the door to the visitor, though he soon wished he had.

Standing before Dib was his arch rival; someone he both wanted and didn't want to see. Looking down at the ground, he allowed himself to grin, only for a moment, and then he looked back up to face Zim. Dib made sure all traces of the joy were gone, replacing it with a scowl.

"What do you want Zim?" Dib asked. Zim knew he was trying his hardest to sound irritated, but it just wasn't coming out quite right. For a moment, Zim forgot to answer, but then he smiled questioningly.

"Why are you at Tazi's house?" Zim knew that if Dib was at anyone's home, it had to be Tazi's. Hate and anger boiled and churned inside Zim as he thought of what Dib and that pathetic girl had been doing together at this late of an hour.

"That's none of your business," Dib retorted, giving Zim a light shove, "Now why are you here?" Zim stepped up to the Dib-worm.

"I don't have to tell you, Dib-stink," Zim replied, shoving Dib back. By now, both boys had fists raised, ready to strike. They both stood for a moment, waiting for the other to make the first move. Dib got tired of waiting, though, and swung at Zim. He staggered back, but recovered and hit Dib in his left jaw. Dib reared his clenched fingers back, prepared to punch Zim once again, when he glanced behind himself and saw Tazi.

She was gripping the doorway, exposing only half of her body, her eyes wide with awe and intriguement. Not really scared just... focused. Dib turned, his arms lowered, and look dead into her eyes. She looked down at the ground, her hair falling down to caress her face, before looking back up at the boys. Her expression, by then, had completely changed. The look of pure interest had been replaced with a look of exhaustion and... sorrow, was it?

"What is it, Zim?" She asked, her voice quiet, yet meaningful. At first it seemed that Zim had frozen in place, petrified by fear. Though he somehow managed to gather his thoughts and form a question.

"I wanted to talk to you," he answered. Tazi nodded, only to be interrupted by Dib.

"You're going to stay away from Tazi, Zim," he ordered somewhat protectively. Clenching his teeth, Zim stepped forward and up to Dib, ever so close to him.

"Why don't you make me, worm-pig?"

"Don't mind if I do, alien scum." Dib shoved Zim back again, causing him to stumble, and Tazi walked down the porch steps to interfere. She placed a hand on Dib's shoulder and, because of his building anger, he turned sharply and back handed her. She fell to the ground and just sat there in shock. Upon removing her own hands from her face, Dib could see that he'd left a red, welted mark on her cheek. He crouched down, ready to explain and apologize, but Tazi just waved him away. She stood, walked back up to her doorway, and moved only one finger to beckon Zim inside.

"You can leave now, Dib," she said in a casual tone. With that, she led Zim inside her home, leaving Dib standing in the driveway, bewildered.

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Dib cursed under his breath at his own selfish stupidity. He kicked gravel angrily as he walked down the road, recalling the events that had just taken place. How could he have let himself get out of hand like that? He shook his head again and concentrated on finding his way back home. By then, Gaz might be awake, so he needed to think and come up with an excuse for his beings out so late and his bruised jaw.

"So what did you want to talk about, Zim?" She asked as she closed the front door. Zim watched as Tazi stepped over and sat down beside him on the couch. For a moment, he was lost, but he told himself he was going to cut right to the chase.

"Stop pretending," he began demandingly, "I wanna know where you're really from." At first she looked nervous, but then she simply nodded, a smile on her face. Tazi began talking about how she was simply from another country and that Zim needn't be alarmed. Zim angrily shook his head and told her he wanted to know the complete truth.

"I already told you, Zim," I said to him again. Maybe soon I would convince him, maybe soon he would stop being so mad. I hadn't done anything wrong, had I? He had said that being different, though, was bad. So maybe that's why Zim was so irritated with her right now. But why? Why was he still yelling? It didn't make sense...

And suddenly, something in her eyes just... clicked. Her worried, frightened expression faded and was replaced with an angry glare. Tazi stepped up to Zim, fists clenched at her sides, and bared her teeth.

"Just shut up, Zim!" She yelled, "You don't even deserve to know where I'm from!"

"Tazi, wh-"

"You're a weak coward and an ignorant imbecile! I don't even understand why Dib, or anyone else, ever took the time to deal with you!"

"How dare y-"

"I don't want to hear it!" She shouted, "I want you out of my house, right now!" By now Tazi looked exasperated and she was pointing at the door. Zim rushed over to it like a dog with its tail tucked between its legs and left. Honestly, he was a little scared. What had just happened back there? Tazi wasn't friendly to him, but she'd never treated him like this, either.

Dib became even angrier when he thought of what those two could possibly be doing right now. Was Zim yelling at her? Hurting her? Forcing her to do as he wished? Kidnapping her? Dozens of possibilities raced through his mind, each one making him more frustrated, and soon he came upon his house.

He stormed inside, slamming the door, and marched up to his bedroom. He slammed his bedroom door, too and flopped down on his bed. After around half an hour, Dib calmed down and turned over on his side. He spied his cell phone lying on his nightstand and picked it up. He scrolled through his contacts soon finding Tazi's (as he'd gotten her a phone and was paying for minutes) and selected it. Even though it was 3:47 a.m., Dib decided to text Tazi.

"Hey, r u awake?" He waited for thirteen minutes before receiving an answer.

"Yeah, I am. Why?" Dib hurriedly text her back, a mixture of excitement and fear rising up in him.

"I'm really sorry about earlier. I was mad and upset with Zim and stuff... will you forgive me?" He never got an answer.

Zim retrieved G.I.R from the branch he sat in, seeing as all he was doing was talking to a squirrel, and made his way home. Lately he'd been calling his base home, and sometimes it unnerved him. He'd seen Dib cringe occasionally when he did so, also.

"NO! THE SQUIRREL! GO BACK!" G.I.R screamed in Zim's lekku. Zim ignored his protests, carrying him over his shoulder now. G.I.R soon began wailing and Zim wondered how and why the stupid thing was crying. More importantly, why in the Irk had Dib hit Tazi? Maybe that's why Tazi had gotten upset, even if suddenly. Even more important than that, Zim wondered what Dib was doing right now. Zim forced the subject of the worm-baby out of his mind before his thoughts got too out of hand... again.

"That's enough, G.I.R!" Zim yelled.

"B-but... the squirrel..."

"Silence; now." The robot shut up for his own good and Zim put him down. He was growing tired of carrying him, for he was so heavy. How could something so small weigh that much? Zim disregarded it and focused on where he was going. But it was too late; he was lost.

Dib waited and waited, but he didn't hear from Tazi again that night. Was she still mad at him? Was she asleep? Dib wondered and wondered, and soon his eye lids grew too heavy to stay open. He gave into sleep and drifted off into a much needed slumber...

It was a dream in which he had no control over, and Dib was walking down the sidewalk alone when he heard someone calling out for help. He ran towards the noise, wondering who it was, and soon came upon a lake. In it was Tazi, whom appeared to be drowning. Dib went to save her, only for it start pouring down rain. He turned around, having heard Zim's screams of agony, and ran to him instead. Dib pulled out an umbrella and shielded Zim with it, protecting him.

Dib turned back to Tazi and saw both her and the lake evaporate and sizzle into a cloud of smoke. He turned back to Zim, smiling, and leaned down at the same time that his hands reached to...

Dib jerked awake, breathing heavily. A clap of thunder sounded, causing Dib to jump. Perspiration dangling from his flesh, Dib stopped panting and forced himself to calm down. He wasn't very experienced in nightmares, let alone dreams at all, and this one had terrified him. It had terrified him, not only because he'd let Tazi die, but because he'd also saved Zim.

Did the dream mean anything? Dib hoped not. Though the feeling he'd had; it was such a strong feeling of wanting. It was a longing that Dib couldn't control. Why, though? Why did he want anything good to happen to Zim? Why would his mind be able to create this dream if he hated Zim? It couldn't have been able to, he thought to himself, if he hated him.

Dib heard a noise at his window and got out of bed. He walked across his bedroom and opened the window, letting a little bit of rain enter. He looked down and saw Zim. He was soaked, smoking, and in Dib's backyard. He looked up at Dib, a look of pleading in his eyes, for a moment. And Dib didn't have long to decide what he was going to do.


	6. Keeping The Enemy Closer

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Keeping The Enemy Closer

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"I'm really sorry about earlier. I was mad and upset with Zim... will you forgive me?" Tazi stared at the text for a long time before deciding that she wasn't going to reply. She didn't know if she should forgive him, though she did know that she wanted to forgive him.

But what had happened with Zim? All Tazi remembered was Zim being mad one moment, and the next running out the door, miserably frightened. It was as if she'd blinked; blinked and missed the whole conversation. What was up with that? Tazi couldn't figure it out and stopped further thoughts about it.

She sighed and got up from her couch. Tazi walked across the room and went down to her bedroom. She took off her clothes, first. Afterwards, Tazi took off the disguise she wore every day, showing what she really was, and crawled under the bed covers.

He looked down at the ground, covering as much skin as possible with his uniform, and cursed under his breath. He'd been reduced to practically begging his enemy for help; and he hadn't even said anything. He was showing so many signs of weakness it sickened Zim to the very core of his squeedily-spooch.

Zim was about to turn and attempt to run home, even though he was hopelessly lost, when Dib came from around the corner. He had a terrified look on his face that faded into a frustrated one soon after coming upon Zim.

"Zim," he began, "What are you doing here?"

"Does it matter, pig-filth?"

"It does if you want to get out of this rain." Zim cursed under his breath before looking back up at Dib.

"I'm lost," he replied.

"Again?" Zim glared at Dib and said nothing. Dib shook his head.

Then he realized that he hadn't thought to bring a spare jacket or a towel or anything. So, hurriedly thinking of what to do, Dib decided. He stretched the sides of his jacket forward and wrapped them around Zim. Ignoring his protests, Dib walked Zim around the house, inside, and up to his bedroom. Once there, Dib let Zim go, almost sighing when the warmth of the ignorant green child left him. Zim dusted himself off, as if he'd gotten some human disease or something, and scowled at Dib.

"How dare you grab the mighty Zim?" He shouted. Dib rolled his eyes, containing his laughter, and took his now soaked jacket off. When he looked back at Zim, Dib saw him staring.

"What?" He inquired irritably.

"Nothing," Zim answered after shaking his head.

"So, I guess you can stay here until the rain stops," Dib suddenly said after a few moments of awkward silence.

"Whatever, Dib-stink." So the two of them waited. They waited for half an hour before Dib decided the rain was going to be here for a while. He took his shirt off, not thinking about Zim, and stepped over to his bed.

"What on Irk are you doing?" Dib jumped upon hearing the alien's voice, and turned around. He saw a confused Zim, a hint of fear in his eyes, and couldn't help but smile.

"I'm just going to sleep, Zim."

"But the rain-" Zim rambled on and Dib thought of what to do. He had said that Zim could stay until it stopped, having acquired a sort of sympathy for the pitiful imbecile.

Dib needed sleep, but there was no way in Hell he was going to sleep unguarded while Zim was here.

"Just," he began, unsure, interrupting Zim, "Come sleep with me."

It was raining, and the sound of it scared Tazi. She could remember, in the past... she shuddered at the memory. Every time she went to drift off, the rain would pour harder or thunder would roar, shaking the entire house. She wished it would stop, wished she could just sleep.

But nothing had ever been easy, had it? Many would figure that she'd be used to it by now, but Tazi just wasn't. Everything had always been so hard, harder than it was for others, and Tazi was sick of it. Before she realized what was happening, a single tear rolled down the side of her face and down to her chin. It didn't stop until it reached her neck and just laid there.

Tazi sat up, willing herself not to cry, and wiped the wet parts of her face dry. She refused to let herself be weak. He'd always told her that no one liked anyone whom was pathetic like she usually was. Though he wasn't here was he? He was probably somewhere far away... at least that's what Tazi hoped.

"Are you insane, Earth-pig?" What was the Dib-thing thinking? Sleep with him? Zim was thoroughly disgusted, and yet he longed to join the hyuman.

"Would you rather go back outside?" Zim said nothing. He would rather go outside and endure the acid than look like he wanted Dib. It would be easier to just sleep with Dib, as that's what he desired anyways.

The alien didn't say anything. Dib longed to know what he was thinking, longed to know what he wanted. Though Zim had a fantastic poker face that gave away absolutely nothing.

But suddenly, Zim slipped out of his shirt and walked over to where Dib stood. At first Dib was shocked; he would have expected Zim to refuse above any other option. But here he was, crawling under Dib's comforter, and closing his eyes warily.

"You better not try anything, Dib-hyuman." Dib smiled; he didn't plan on it. He was happy, comfortable right now. Not once the entire night, Zim curled up in his arms, did Dib think of Tazi. Instead, he only enjoyed the moment he was in right now; the one that had Zim asleep in his arms. The moment of Zim trusting Dib enough to sleep in his grasp, the moment of being able to inhale the scent of Zim, the moment that Dib wished would never end; the moment that would be cut short at six in the morning.

Her alarm went off, though she didn't get up. Tazi let out a long, huff. She'd hardly slept last night, for the sound of rain had terrified her, and was now faced with going to Skool. Tazi didn't want to, of course, but if she didn't, she wouldn't look normal.

Dib dismissed his alarm before it could wake Zim up. He carefully got out of bed and changed his pants, also putting on his favorite shirt. He picked up his jacket and, seeing it was dry, put it on. He ran a brush through his hair, not trying to make it look good, as he knew it would only do its own thing.

Dib turned back to Zim and saw him curled in a tight ball, Dib's covers wrapped around him. Dib smiled at the image. He stepped over to his bed, fully aware he had to wake the alien up, and shook him gently. He whispered his name a couple times, just to get his attention, and soon Zim opened his maroon eyes that were filled with awe and curiosity.

"Zim..." he heard through the darkness. He felt someone touching him, but just barely. He tried to ignore it at first, but found that he couldn't. So, instead, Zim opened his eyes slowly.

And when he did he saw two golden brown eyes looking at him. They stared with a deep concern, a few hints of fear lurking in his irises. Zim smiled, but as he came to be fully awake, he realized he was looking at Dib.

But his smile soon faded into a scowl. He sat up, grumbling, and rubbed his forehead. After taking a quick look around the room, Zim asked what time it was.

"It's time to go to skool." Zim groaned and crawled out of the bed. Dib watched as he picked up his top and slipped it over his shoulders. He straightened his wig, in which he'd uncomfortably slept in, and sighed.

The alarm clock went off, creating a very annoying and never-ending noise. Gaz reached over and punched it in anger, silencing it. With a huff, Gaz got out of bed and got dressed. She drowsily trudged down the stairs and into the kitchen. She popped two pieces of toast into the toaster, and took a seat at the kitchen table.

Soon her toast was done, or in this case burnt, and she began munching on it mindlessly. Though her attention was soon focused on a certain pair of boys when they stepped into the kitchen. What was Zim doing here?

Dib cursed under his breath; he'd forgotten about Gaz. She raised an eyebrow in question, scooting her chair back so she could stand. She walked over to Dib and stopped when she came to stand almost nose to nose with him.

"What is Zim doing here?" She asked in a demanding tone. Dib could tell by the look on her face and by the way her fists were clenched that she meant business. Though he didn't know what to say. He couldn't just up and tell her that it was either let him in and die; besides, what was it to her?

Zim attempted to hide behind Dib, clutching his jacket sleeve for dear life. Dib paid no mind to this, probably because he didn't care, and Zim thanked The Tallest for that. Right now Zim felt like a weak little smeet, though he did have to admit that Gaz was freakin' scary.

"Well, look at the time," Dib began nervously, "We really need to be getting to skool, Gaz." Dib went to make his way towards the front door, but Gaz grabbed his shirt collar.

"I asked you a question, Dib," she began threateningly, "I want an answer." Dib swallowed a hard lump in his throat. What was he supposed to say? What was he supposed to do? Dib looked down at the watch on his wrist and saw that they had twenty minutes to get to school. He was only worried about himself and Zim, though; Gaz would probably cut class, anyways. Though if Dib wasn't there in time, if he was late for class - he didn't want to think about it. And if Zim wasn't there, the other children would suspect something, and Zim's quality of normalness would be under question.

Dib sighed and Zim wondered what was going through his mind right now. How was he going to get them out of this situation? Zim did assume that the pathetic hyuman would be the ones talking them out of it, as he had no idea what to say to Gaz. So he waited, trying not to focus on the teen girl's glaring gaze, and prayed to Irk they would make it to skool unharmed, safe, and in one piece.

"Zim simply stayed over for the night, Gaz," he finally answered, "As a... friend." Dib forced the last word out, a shudder emitting from his body upon saying it. It was a lie that he hoped Gaz would accept, for if she didn't, they were screwed. So, holding his breath, Dib waited. He exhaled a deep sigh of relief when Gaz nodded.

"Whatever," she said to them hatefully, "Get out of my sight; or else I'll break both your limbs so badly you won't move for months!" Both boys listened, each dashing out the door and almost stumbling to the ground.

Now running down the side walk, Zim looked up and over at Dib. His face was scrunched in concentration and had just begun breaking beads of sweat. At that moment, Dib turned to look down at Zim, who immediately looked away. Why was his squeedily-spooch feeling so... weird? The Irken race had worked so hard to make themselves as superior as they are today, worked so hard to eliminate weak emotions like this. So why were they here?

Dib aimed his focus back on getting to school when the alien looked away. What was the matter with him? Dib shook it off; it didn't really matter right now. All that mattered was getting himself and Zim to skool on time so neither of them got in trouble. Why exactly did he care about helping Zim? No idea.


	7. Oops

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Oops

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The boys stumbled into the classroom three minutes before the bell. Out of breath, they took their seats in homeroom. Their teacher eyes them suspiciously, though let it go eventually. Soon they were on their way to their lockers to grab books for algebra two.

Upon entering Mr. Maddox's room, Dib noticed Tazi wasn't here. He raised a brow in confusion; she'd never missed skool before. So what was different about today? Was she sick? Tired? Upset? Dib wondered and wondered, for the sake of his conscious, as he didn't actually care.

Zim saw that the pathetic Tazi girl's seat was empty. It left a gaping space beside Dib that Zim, for whatever odd reason, wanted to fill. Though he told himself that he actually wanted to be as far from his rival as possible. The alien plopped down in his seat and prepared himself for the pointless and on-going equations and solutions that were to come. Zim hated math, and that was probably because he was no good at it; it made him inferior.

The day passed fairly quickly, for a Monday, and soon Dib found himself walking home alone. The air was cool and the rustling of the leaves created a peaceful atmosphere. Though Dib lacked Tazi, the human he'd gotten used to having every day, and it made him feel alone. The quiet, by now, was killing Dib. He would have given anything to have someone, anyone, be with him right now; he would have given anything to get rid of the silence.

He saw the pitiful hyuman walking solemnly down the sidewalk by himself. Zim had honestly thought he'd gotten used to it, though he guessed Tazi had made Dib miss interaction with others. So he was faced with a decision; walk with him or let him be solitary. It was an easy choice to make.

Out of nowhere, Dib heard footsteps. He turned, wondering who could possibly want to approach him, and his face paled. Running towards him was Zim; his enemy. Dib honestly didn't know what to do. His body told him to run, but his mind... told him to stay. Unsure, Dib simply turned and continued walking.

He didn't run away, surprisingly. Why? Zim put the question out of his mind and caught up to the Dib-thing. When he did, he grabbed Dib's sleeve to get his attention. The boy looked down at him, his amber eyes gleaming with a series of feelings, and stopped.

Dib took a moment to admire the alien. He could picture his maroon eyes beyond the fake, plastic lenses. He could imagine how beautiful the color was against his jade skin. His wig, crooked now because of running, covered pieces of his face. Zim would think he looked like a mess; Dib thought he looked perfect.

"What is it, Zim?" Dib's tone hadn't come out like Zim expected. Instead of being irritated and angry, he sounded curious and needy. Zim could see that Dib was confused based on the expression on his face; he hadn't meant for his words to come out that way.

"I just... you were..." Dib smiled; the green scum hadn't thought this through. And now he had nothing to say, no way to explain what he was doing here. Soon Zim's face scrunched up in a hateful frustration.

"ZIM NEEDS NO EXPLANATION!" Zim howled, pointing a clawed finger in Dib's face. Dib's grin widened. Curse him for finding humor in this! To Foodcourtia with him! Zim turned and began leaving; if all Dib was going to do was embarrass him, he wasn't going to stay.

Dib panicked when he saw Zim leaving. He huffed; he'd ridiculed him again. Dib never meant to, it just happened, every time. Dib walked over to Zim before he could stalk off. He put his hands on Zim's shoulders, making him stop. With a sigh, Zim turned around. His cheeks were tinted strawberry, matching Zim's skin gorgeously. It was magnificent and dazzling, altogether appealing to Dib's eyes.

"I'm sorry," Dib whispered. It came out of his mouth unintentionally, and neither boy would ever know where it came from. Though Zim did appreciate it, and he looked down at the ground to conceal his smile. So did Dib care? Zim would never know.

Dib watched as Zim walked up his driveway before heading on. Zim had walked with him after he apologized, and now they were going their separate ways. A couple blocks later, Dib reached his house. He stopped a moment, thinking, and decided to keep going. He was heading to the only house that could give him answers.

Tazi had slept the entire day. She had awoken about an hour earlier, and had forced herself to crawl out of bed. Now she sat inside her kitchen, relaxing in a gray robe, and contemplating what to do next. Though her thoughts were interrupted by a knock on her door. She dashed upstairs, got dressed and fixed her hair, and went back downstairs.

Tazi opened the door, looking rushed. She smiled, but then rid her face of all emotions. Damn her and her poker face. Dib searched his mind for something to say. "How are you? Didn't see you at skool today," "Are you okay? Just wondering, y'know?" "Decided to come over and check up on ya after what happened the other night." Dib shook his head.

"Is something the matter, Dib?" Her voice was that of child's; innocent, sweet, and concerned.

"No," Dib began, "I just... you weren't at skool today." I was worried, Dib added in his head.

"Just tired," Tazi explained, "Long night; I hate storms." Was that all that Dib wanted? If so, Tazi had other things to do; like making sure she stayed hidden.

"Oh, okay." Well what now, smart one? Dib ran his fingers through his hair.

"Bye then, I guess," Dib continued, "If nothing's wrong, I'll just go."

Zim had peered through his window and had seen Dib walk away. He smiled; bet he wasn't thinking about Tazi. The weird hyuman-like feeling of jealousy had been replaced with a swell of pride. Zim made his way through the living room, avoiding G.I.R and his hideous war movie, and rode down to his lab.

Dib now lay on his bed, arms crossed behind his head. He was wondering if leaving Tazi's house had been the right thing to do. Probably not, he decided, but it was over with now. Dib would just have to talk to Tazi on Monday, as he would probably walk her home.

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"I don't know, Dib," she said, "Just... I'll go home by myself." Dib's brows furrowed in confusion; had Tazi told him she'd rather go home alone? Dib shook his head.

"You don't have to," Dib began, "I'll come, y'know."

"It's fine."

"You sure?" Dib wanted to smack himself; of course she wasn't alright, and of course she wasn't sure! Though Tazi nodded, turned, and began walking home alone. Dib just stood there, silent and still, feeling like he'd been abandoned again. He decided to wait until he couldn't see Tazi anymore to head on to his house.

Zim shut his locker and stalked out of the front double doors of the skool. Walking down the sidewalk, he soon saw Dib just standing there. Zim cocked his head in question, raising an eyebrow, and ran up to Dib.

"Shouldn't you be going home, Dib-stink?" Surprised by the alien's voice, Dib jumped and stumbled backwards. He prevented himself from falling, though, and straightened his glasses immediately.

"What's it to you?" Zim shook his head angrily.

"THE ALMIGHTY ZIM ASKED YOU A QUESTION!" Zim screamed in Dib's face, jabbing his nose with a pointed finger, "ANSWER IT!" Dib grinned and laughed quietly to himself.

"You're so adorable when you're angry." Dib hadn't even realized the words had come out of mouth until he saw the shock on Zim's face. He instantly swung a hand up and clamped it over his mouth as if the action could take the words back. Dib could feel the heat rising to his face and just wanted to melt into a pile of goo.

But he couldn't and he didn't. Dib had to stand there as Zim waited for an explanation; one that Dib didn't have. How was he supposed to explain that, huh? Dib just shook his head, turning and speed-walking down the sidewalk. He knew his face must have been red as Hell, and he just needed to get out of there. There was no way he was going to stand there humiliated like that.

"Where are you going, hyuman?" Dib didn't even stop to look and see how closely caught up the alien was; he didn't want to. He didn't want to be ridiculed. He didn't want to be looked down on. He didn't want to be a joke to his rival, one of the two only people he cared about.

"The mighty Zim orders you to stop!" And Dib did. With a sigh, he turned around and saw Zim. He was angry, but since he was so short, he looked like a pouting 5-year-old. Dib smiled, not being able to help it; this face was hilarious and cute.

Zim smiled also; he'd finally gotten to the Dib-thing. There wasn't any sense in seeing him upset, now was there? Honestly, Zim thought nothing could come from Dib being miserable. As of late, all Zim wanted to do was make Dib happy. Though it seemed like an impossible task. What and with Tazi ignoring him and no one but her understanding him, it was hard. And, to be truthful to himself, Zim felt like he was only in the way. Maybe he was making things worse; but who knows? Maybe Tazi wasn't the only one to know this filthy earth worm named Dib Membrane.

"I'll walk with you," Zim offered. Dib shook his head and turned his head away from Zim. Zim's shoulders slumped in disappointment. Though a simple denying gesture wasn't going to stop Zim. When the human let out a sigh and began walking, Zim followed. He followed all the way to Dib's house, and kept going after that. He kept going until he was at Tazi's front door.

Zim knocked three times, rapping his knuckles against the hard material and creating three loud booms. Scowling, Zim thought of what to say. What was he supposed to say to the person who was killing the being that he cared for? As an Irken, Zim had never had been programmed not to feel any of these weak, crippling feelings; they were inferior. And yet, they were there; and Zim had no control over them.

Tazi answered the door a few minutes later, and looked at Zim with a look of confusion on her face.

"What are you doing here, Zim?" She began, "Dib's not here, if that's what you wanted." Zim shook his head, rage boiling up inside him and steaming out every one of his pores. In his anger, Zim simply pushed past Tazi and into her house. He went down some hallways, through some doors, and just happened upon the one room Tazi didn't want him in.

Only it wasn't a room.


	8. If You Don't Hate The Game

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When You Don't Hate The Game…

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Dib had seen Zim go on instead of turning around to go to his own house. It didn't take a genius to know where he was headed, though Dib wasn't going to do anything about it. Dib didn't care. Tazi obviously didn't want to see him, anyways.

But that wasn't the only reason why he didn't care. If he went, what was he supposed to say to her? I'm sorry I backhanded you? Dib shook his head. It was better not to go; she wasn't worth it. Well, that is how he felt about the situation. That's not what he would say to himself. What he "truly" felt was fear. Fear that Zim would do something to Tazi. Fear that Tazi would turn him away even if he did do something about Zim.

But did it really matter if he wasn't going? No, Dib decided, and he stopped thinking about it. He walked through his front door, no more than fifteen minutes late, and made his way upstairs. On his way through, Dib glanced through the doorway of Gaz's bedroom. She lifted the bottle to her mouth, her lips wrapping around the opening greedily, and took another swig of whatever it was she was drinking this time. Probably booze, maybe whiskey. Who knows?

Dib continued, closing his bedroom door behind himself. He dropped his backpack to the ground with a thud, trudging over to his bed. He laid down, burying his face in the comforter. He was tired; really tired. Though he also had a lot on his mind, so sleep wasn't an option. Dib turned over, laying on his back now, and stared at the ceiling. He released a sigh; why couldn't anything be easy for once?

Zim knew what he was in; an elevator. He barked a command to be taken to a lower level, and the system obeyed. Zim knew Tazi wasn't hyuman; he'd known it! Adrenaline fueled excitement and leftover anger coursed through his body, causing the alien to sort of jog in place.

Zim grinned in satisfaction. He was in her lab; Tazi was Irken! Zim marched out of the elevator, exploring and looking around with wide eyes. He was shocked, actually. He knew Tazi wasn't hyuman; that was obvious. This, however, hadn't been expected. This was bigger than that.

Tazi soon arrived and she ran up to stand beside Zim. She swallowed nervously, her eyes blinking furiously as she struggled to breathe. Her face kept scrunching up in a mixture of mixed emotions as her mouth opened and closed in a useless attempt to find words. Zim put a finger up to her lips, signaling her not to say anything.

"I've seen enough," he began, turning to Tazi, who was unfortunately taller than him, "Tazi. Who are you really?" Tazi nodded several times rapidly, swallowing again.

"My name really is Tazi, Zim," she began, seeming to catch her breath as she stood up straight, calming herself, "but, as you can see, I'm not human."

"Yes, yes; I know," Zim closed his eyes, inhaling and exhaling a deep breath, "But who are you? Why are you here and where did you come from?! I never saw you on the massive..." Tazi nodded.

So why was Zim going to Tazi's house? This was the main question that prodded at Dib's mind. Maybe to talk with her? Dib shook his head; Zim didn't like Tazi. To harm her? This was more likely, but Zim didn't seem prepared. Could he be running into the situation blind? A light smile played across Dib's lips; that was more like Zim.

Dib slowly sat up and swung his feet off the side of the bed. He stood up, though too quickly, and an intense dizziness swept over him. His vision was filled with dark purples and blues that mixed with what was actually there, and he dropped down to his knees. The coolness of the hardwood floor felt good on Dib's skin, and he allowed his eyes to flutter shut.

"I-I don't know... I don't remember..." Tazi put a hand to her forehead, faking it, though. She did know why she was here and where she came from. She just didn't have to tell Zim, did she? It wasn't all too important, Tazi thought.

"You don't know?!" Zim stepped up to Tazi, puffing his chest out to try and make himself look more threatening, as Tazi was taller, "How can you not know?!" Tazi couldn't help but cringe; he reminded her of Him. Shaking his head, Zim yanked the wig off his head and proceeded to slip the contacts out of his eyes; this needed to be moved along.

Zim smirked when a wave of shock passed over Tazi's face; apparently, she'd had no idea. Zim pulled Tazi closer by putting his Pak legs behind her and pushing her body forwards. Zim then reached a hand out and behind her, pressing a button on Tazi's own Pak. She screamed, though not too loudly, and fell to the floor.

Zim's smirk faded and he watched as Tazi hung her head, her palms pressed against the floor to prevent her from falling completely to the ground. Zim stared down as her body convulsed and shook, and his brows furrowed. Though he didn't look away, and soon Tazi's bone structure began to morph into something more familiar to Zim.

After a few minutes, Tazi was exhausted and she looked up at him with wide, fearful lavender eyes like Zim had never seen before. She stood up, though her legs shook and her knees buckled, causing her to fall back to the floor. Tazi had been using the most inferior methods of disguise; Implantation.

See, genetically mutated versions of the cell of whatever species the Irken were trying to imitate were implanted into the skin and skeletal cords. They would terminate the Irken cells and reproduce, forming the disguise. What made this possible is that the Irken blood remains, and on every Pak there is a sort of reset button. By pressing this, a stronger breed of Irken cells are sent in to fight off the foreign species and return the Invader back to their former self. The process is actually quite painful and can create permanent physical trauma. That's why, a while ago, these meanings of disguise were replaced.

Zim reached a hand down to a quivering Tazi, whom was on her hands and knees, causing her to cringe and whimper. A surge of pity flashed through Zim, and he found himself wanting to help her. She was Irken, after all. She was of his kind, his race, so it wouldn't hurt to lend her hand.

Zim pulled off one of his rubber gloves, setting it aside, and reached down towards one of Tazi's lekku. He stroked a claw up it, causing Tazi to shudder and lean against Zim's right leg. Zim smiled as he continues to pet her antennae, bringing her relief to her pain, and soon she was relaxed with her eyes closed.

Zim bent down, cradling Tazi in his arms, and walked over to a table. He set her down carefully, not wanting to hurt her again, and watched her react to the cold surface. She forced herself to sit up, shame in her eyes, and swallowed yet again.

"Zim, why-" Zim cut her off by putting a finger up into the air. Tazi was now as tall as he was, five feet four inches, and had changed completely. He winced at the memory, imagining how painful it must have been for her. Her bones suddenly shrinking and snapping into new positions, the hair shooting back into her skull, the cells being killed, causing organs to decay and die... Zim shuddered; all of it happening at once, too.

Dib opened his eyes after a few moments, finding himself sprawled out on his stomach in the floor. He sat up, closing his eyes and rubbing his forehead, and stood warily. Not long after, Gaz was standing in the doorway to his bedroom.

"What was that noise, Dib?" She hissed. Dib almost flinched, freezing where he stood, but he forced himself to relax, shaking his head.

"Just fell Gaz," he began, "Since when do you care?" Dib didn't wait for an answer, instead pushing past his younger sister and going downstairs. All of a sudden he was starving, and he began grabbing things from the pantry and the cupboards. He set everything down on the table, tearing through bags of chips and smearing peanut butter on bread. He shoved all that he could into his mouth, having hardly any time to take a drink or breathe, and soon found himself full and even more tired than before.

Dib cleaned up, turning and jumping upon seeing Gaz leaning up against the wall at the entrance to the hallway. Had she been watching him this entire time? Probably so.

"Hungry, moron?" Gaz commented, giving Dib his answer. Dib subconsciously nodded, trudging up to his bedroom and taking off all his clothes except his underwear. He shut and locked his door before stumbling into bed and crawling under the covers. They were cold at first, but Dib scrunched up and soon it was warm. He was finally comfortable, and the teen soon drifted off into a peaceful slumber.

Zim picked Tazi up again, carrying her over his shoulder this time, and made his way to the elevator. They didn't speak, creating an awkward silence, and when they arrived at the house level Zim laid Tazi down on a bed in one of the rooms. He sat down next to her, keeping a good foot between them.

"So you really don't remember?" His voice caught her by surprise and Tazi's head snapped upwards, her eyes finding his. She nodded nervously, unexpecting, and struggled to find something to say.

"So why are you... uhm... here, Zim?" Zim's mind went blank. Why had he come here? He struggled through the past anger, trying to remember what had made him continue on to Tazi's house. A three letter word came to mind, and Zim swallowed.

"That doesn't matter to you!" Tazi flinched and Zim cleared his throat, softening his tone.

"Listen," he began, "I want to make something clear, Tazi."

"Y-yes, Zim?"

"Stay away from Dib. I don't want you to ever speak to, go near, or think about him ever again. I don't even want you to speak or go near his family, either."

"W-what?" Zim's lekku twitched; hadn't he made himself clear? Zim huffed, standing up in front of Tazi.

"Stay away from Dib and his family or I'll tell him what you are." Tazi's mind was reeling. How could Zim tell her to stay away from Dib? It was none of his business! Though one glance into his sharp glare and Tazi knew he was serious. She nodded, standing up and sticking her chest out at him.

"Go home, Zim." Zim sneered, returning the favor and barely pressing their chests together, faces so close they could feel one another's' breath.

"Stay away from Dib. Say it, Tazi! Say that you'll stay away from him!" Tazi almost cringed, though she nodded.

"I'll stay away from Dib! Now, leave, Zim! Don't ever come back!" Zim hesitated, still glaring at Tazi, though he turned, making his way to the door. He looked over his shoulder at her, finding a pair of worried, light purple eyes finding his, before storming out the door.

He was running. Through the streets, perhaps? Yes, through the city. Dib was running after Zim, and he was smiling widely. He was going to catch the menace this time, expose him, he knew it! He could feel it deep inside his bones that finally he would beat his nemesis.

He turned a sharp corner too fast and tripped, almost falling. Sure, that would help the space scum get slightly ahead of him, but Dib could get faster. Dib pumped his legs as hard as he could, dashing across the pavement, dodging whatever got in his way.

Dib saw Zim stumble through his front door, and he smiled. He calmly walked inside, shutting and locking the door behind himself. Sure, if Zim tried hard enough he could figure out how to unlock it. That wasn't why Dib had locked the door. He wasn't going to let Zim out of his sight for him to get a chance to unlock the door and leave. Dib had locked it so that no one could come in while he was killing his enemy.

The cool night air felt good as it caressed Zim's face. His "plan" hadn't gone as hoped, but he'd accomplished his goal. If Tazi wanted her secret safe, she'd stay away from Dib. Zim smirked to himself upon thinking about it.

Zim stopped when he saw the house. He stood there for a few minutes, looking at it, and he almost went inside. Though he resisted his urges and refused to walk up the Dib-hyuman's walkway, telling himself that wanting his enemy was wrong and that wanting period was inferior. As an Irken, Zim could be strong enough by himself.

"Master?" G.I.R questioned as he skipped alongside Zim, "What did we go to Tazi's house for?" Zim ignored him for a few moments before sighing and continuing on to his base.

"None of your business, G.I.R!" The robot nodded, a sort of smugness coming over him as he continued to prance.

Why didn't Zim feel happy, he wondered. Didn't he just succeed? He knew by the look in Tazi's eyes that she would heed his threat, but something didn't feel right. The Dib would pay attention to him again, stop all his plans to conquer Earth. He'd won, right? Zim sighed; he didn't feel like a winner.

It wasn't hard for Dib to find the room Zim was in. He was in the bathroom, the door shut but not locked. Dib smirked to himself; all too easy. Reaching a hand forwards, Dib turned the doorknob and stepped inside, shutting and locking the door behind himself. Crouched in the corner of the room was Zim, his face paled to a lighter shade of green upon seeing Dib.

Neither of them said anything as Dib crouched down in front of Zim, a smirk on his face. Dib thought of what to do to the poor defenseless alien that sat before him. He looked around the room, about to give up and torture him the old fashioned way, when he spotted the sink.

Dib's smirk turned into a grin and he jerked Zim up by the collar of his shirt. He shoved Zim's head down, his lekku resting under the faucet, and turned the water on. Zim gasped, his body tensing, and he tried to struggle. He thrashed his arms and legs, but Dib held his head in place, never letting go or loosening his grip.

Zim called out, biting his lip to try and keep it quiet. Small whimpers and odd growl-like noises escaped his throat, though soon it was too much. Zim gave in and screamed, his body going limp as he succumbed into the pain. Dib closed his eyes, strangely wanting to lavish in the sounds, and put a hand on Zim's back so he could feel his body quiver and tremble with agony.

With a sigh, Zim stepped through his front door. He trudged over to the couch, and, though it was filthy and covered in grease and food from G.I.R, plopped down onto it. He watched as his robot took off his disguise, leaving it by the door, and turned on the inferior hyuman television thingy. His henchman then came over, sitting down beside himself, and began eating... something.

He'd just come to relax, though Zim was finding his eyelids harder and harder to hold open. Zim shifted his body, trying to stand or move, but he couldn't accomplish anything. He'd had a feeling that all this sleeping was going to mess with his routine program. If he hadn't of done it, maybe Zim could stay awake right now. If he hadn't of ever slept, he would most likely not have to sleep at all, like usual.

Zim, after a moment of thought and realizing he couldn't do anything, decided to give into unconsciousness. He could just get it over with and then find something to do; simple. Zim's eyelids drooped, slowly sinking down and eventually becoming closed. His Pak automatically shifted into Security Mode, like it would do for any Irken who, for whatever reason, decided to sleep. While under this setting, if anything tried to touch, move, or harm him his Pak would react and protect him. As his eyes were closed, he'd also be living off the stored carbon dioxide in his blood. Hopefully, G.I.R wouldn't do anything stupid while he was asleep...

Dib eventually did let Zim go, allowing him to fall into the floor. He watched for a moment as his body continued to writhe slightly, quiet whimpers still escaping the alien's lips. Dib dropped to his knees, one on either side of Zim, and he used his sleeves to wipe away his enemy's fresh, silver tears that were rolling down his face.

Smiling lightly, Dib stroked one of Zim's smoking antennae. Zim called out when he did so, his hands reaching forwards to clutch onto the font of Dib's shirt. Dib's smile warmed, and he let the alien cling onto him. Dib moved down, no longer in control, and pressed his lips gently against Zim's. He forced both their mouths open-

Dib awoke with a start, breathing heavily. He wasn't sweating, but his entire body was radiating heat. He swallowed, his mouth dry, and struggled to catch his breath. Though it felt like he was suffocating, the heat intense, and he eventually took off his underwear and slung the covers off himself in an attempt to cool off.

When he saw it wasn't working, Dib got up, walking over to his bedroom door. He opened it a bit, looking around for Gaz, and locked himself in the bathroom when he didn't see her. He bent down, turning on the cold water and plugging the tub up. When it was full, Dib cut the water off and stepped leisurely inside. He sank down into the icy water, the fact that he was so hot only making it feel colder, and he inhaled a sharp breath.

Dib removed his glasses, setting them on the sink counter, and forced himself to relax and lay in the freezing water. After a while, a sort of numbness spread over Dib's body, and he struggled to get out. He emptied the tub, going back into his room and laying on his bed, soaking wet. Drying his hands off, Dib picked his phone up and texted Tazi, secretly hoping she wouldn't answer.

When Zim stirred awake, the first thing he saw was G.I.R passed out in the floor, surrounded by food scraps. He sat up groggily, stretching, and began to notice the complete mess that enveloped his base. Zim huffed, too tired to be angry, and ordered his computer to have it cleaned up. He then traveled up to his room, disrobing his clothes and disguise, and crawling under the covers. Now he could have a better, more comfortable sleep. Maybe tomorrow would be better.

And she never did. Dib sighed, expecting this, and turned over on his side, refusing to dwell

Dib soon drifted back to sleep, dreamless this time, and awaited morning anxiously. If Tazi wouldn't answer his texts, he'd just have to talk to her in person.

Zim smirked to himself as he watched the Dib-thing try and try to talk to Tazi. Each time she turned him down, ignored him, avoided him. He did feel bad, though. It was some sort of feeling that was eating him from the inside out. Zim couldn't put a name on it, but he did know that he wanted it gone.

He didn't like making Dib feel upset, lonely again. He didn't like seeing the expressions of disappointment on his face, either. Though he wasn't going to give up. No, Zim would just have to make Dib feel better himself, no matter how it had to be done.

Dib dropped his skool bag down, shutting his door and leaning against it. He slid down the door, bringing his knees to his chest and burying his face in his hands. He was so exhausted, so frustrated, so confused. He was so freaking tired of being alone! Why didn't anyone want him?! Sniffling though refusing to cry, Dib stood up, miserable yet angry.

If Tazi wouldn't talk to him, perhaps Zim would feel like having a little chat.


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